“Pets on Cleveland Street?” you say. “You must be barking mad!” Au contraire. An estimated 600 people brought their pets to downtown Clearwater. There were dogs of all kinds and sizes, cats, hedgehogs, ferrets and even iguanas. They came to participate in the 5th Annual Pet Festival, an event put on by the Clearwater Downtown Development Board.

This Thursday, March 18, from noon to 2 p.m., the public is invited to visit downtown's Station Square Park, 612 Cleveland St., enjoy strolling entertainment and a free chocolate éclair, and pick up a card to enter a drawing for a free mini-vacation on Clearwater Beach.

4th Friday Clearwater has gone to the dogs! This January, GPA of Tampa Bay, the organization who finds homes for retired racing Greyhounds, will be the benefiting charity at the downtown Clearwater street party, encouraging owners of the famous greyhounds to bring their furry four-legged friends to interact with the crowd for a doggone good time! The event will take place this Friday, January 22nd from 5:30-10pm at the 500 & 600 blocks of Cleveland Street. The live entertainment will be by Kenny McGee and the event is free to the public.

Since 1933, the historic and stately Cleveland Street District (Downtown) Post Office in Clearwater has added a sense of aesthetics and charm to an already picturesque neighborhood, but recently the adorable location was in danger of being closed.

A portion of the funding for the Clearwater Downtown Boat Slips and Promenade project, currently under construction, is set aside for public art, and city officials are seeking public opinion on the type of artwork that should be installed at the project site. The Clearwater Public Art and Design Program, coordinator for the city’s artwork installations, is planning a public workshop to discuss the themes and types of artwork that that might be appropriate for the project. Information gathered at this workshop will aid the development of a national call to artists to solicit potential artwork and artists.

A seemingly endless sea of excited children poured into Downtown Clearwater with parents in tow to experience the rare miracle of snow in Florida. Miracle on Cleveland Street returned for its second year on December 11th, and was spectacularly successful, exceeding the expectations set by last year’s inaugural event. Kids braved lines a block long to take a ride down the giant toboggan slide in the middle of Cleveland Street.

The Clearwater City Council voted unanimously to name the Capitol Theater and the Lokey Buildinghistorical landmarks. Both buildings are located on Cleveland Street in the Cleveland Street District in downtown Clearwater. This is the first such designation by the City of Clearwater for any structure.

On Friday, December 11th, Winter Wonderland will hold their Special Anniversary Celebration of the 17th Annual Winter Wonderland in Downtown Clearwater. In conjunction with the city’s scheduled “Holiday Light Up” and “Miracle on Cleveland Street”, this winter holiday village will enhance the community’s holiday spirit. The evenings celebration will be kicked off by community leaders: John Doran, City Councilmember; Rod Irwin, of the City Managers Office; Deacon Maurice Mickens, of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church; Pat Harney, Public Affairs Director for the Church of Scientology and of course, the much anticipated secret-surprise entrance by Santa Claus. The special Anniversary Celebration will begin at 6:30 PM sharp.

Oil is not the only thing that does not mix with water… neither does snow apparently. Due to a forecasted 70% chance of rain that could turn 40 tons of snow into ice, the event organizers of Miracle on Cleveland Street in Downtown Clearwater decide to postpone the event until next week, Friday, December 11th from 5-10 pm.